Wild Bandit
by Black Dragon6
Summary: Discontinued


********  
  
Wild Bandit   
  
Chapter one: A New Path   
  
by   
  
Black Dragon  
  
&  
  
Blindmanx   
  
(c)2004  
  
********  
  
"It seemed like a good idea at the time...." Genma said almost to himself as he and his son walked down a hillside trying to make their way to a small village in the distance. Even though Genma couldn't even bring himself to look at his son as they walked. 'The path of a martial artist is fraught with peril.' Genma thought to himself. As he walked forward he could feel his son's gaze burn into him, but he would be damned if he admitted to making a mistake... a very big mistake.   
  
"Yeah, sure pop. Whatever you say." Ranma mumbled to himself as he followed his father. This was one of the worst days to be anywhere near Genma... ironically, the day after he had a good idea. It all started out well and simple: go to a temple and learn all the martial art skills that the people at the temple were willing to teach to them. But no his pop had to let his "bad habit" get in the way again. Stealing is something that Ranma knew was wrong even if he didn't understand exactly what stealing was. Most twelve year olds have a good grasp of right and wrong but Ranma was only looking at the rope. To him, being Genma's son, stealing as he knew it was getting caught with something that wasn't yours... but if you took it and got away with it that wasn't stealing that was training. As Ranma walked down the hillside to get to a village that they had been trying to get to for four hours now, he decided that there was more to this stealing thing that his father let on. And the monster that laid dead less than a mile back the way they came confirmed, in no uncertain terms, that his father was an idiot.   
  
Genma sneezed for the third time that day and wondered again if someone was thinking of him. The only people who would do that, in his mind, were his best friend Soun and/or his wife. Regardless of his relaxed manner, Genma, for all his foolishness, had now worked out a plan. 'The first thing to do is find food... yum, food, then push the boy's training forward at a new level. Otherwise this place might be the end of us. Then we just need to find the way back to Hokkaido so that when we finish up here we can continue training as usual. Then, a few years down the line, I can get Ranma to Soun to get him married and save my neck.'   
  
Of course, while the plan was relatively simple in design, something bothered him about his current environment. Mostly it was because he had no idea what exactly had happened at the temple and had abolutely no clue where they were right now, or why there were really ugly giant gnolls patrolling the forest regions of Japan.   
  
Genma looked around and frowned. He had been making this observation repeatedly since they emerged from... well, whatever those damned temple priests had done to them, but still, he found it odd that the only signs of civilization was the quaint, primitive village down the hill and the battered dirt road him and his son were traveling. Having traveled his whole life up until marriage, Genma was, at the very least, knowledgable about life on the road, and he was stumped at the lack of landmarks or recognizable terrain. They had been traveling in a forest on the outskirts of some small city near Hokkaido, and yet, for four hours he hadn't seen a pebble of asphalt, a single power line, or even a distant building that looked even remotely modern.   
  
"Finally, a town! Maybe we can finally find out where the heck you got us stuck this time," Ranma mumbled irritably, walking through the gate that led past a wooden palisade that encircled the small village. Unlike Genma, Ranma had accepted that they were no longer in Japan back when they had been forced to put down the gnoll that attacked them.   
  
"Ah, ah, ah!" Genma chided, grabbing his son by the back of his gi to prevent him from running off. "First things first, boy! I can't think on an empty stomach!"   
  
"Are you sure your stomach has anything ta do with it?" Ranma muttered sourly.   
  
Genma smacked his son over the head in a response born of years spent dealing with the boy's sharp tongue and slowly developing wit. "Show some respect, boy! Now shut up and look for an inn!"   
  
With both of them searching, it didn't take long at all to find one, and Genma grinned as he read the kanji over the entrance. "Ha! So we are still in Japan! I knew it! We must just be in some undeveloped area!" Proud that he hadn't gotten himself lost in some wacky alternate dimension or something, Genma entered the inn and sat himself down at a table, with Ranma following.   
  
It wasn't long before a barmaid approached their table.   
  
"Hey there strangers, you're dressed mighty odd." From the dirt on them, their rugged, weathered appearance, and their large packs they appeared to be travelers, but rather than wearing travelers' clothes, they were wearing some kind of thin, ragged-looking shirt and pants that were of the same material, and were barefoot. Certainly a far cry from the traditional travelers' dress, which usually involved at least light armor, heavier shirts and pants, boots, gloves, and perhaps a cape or cloak to finish the ensemble.   
  
"So what'll you have, gentlemen?"   
  
Genma looked down at the menu they had been handed, and he raised an eyebrow. Roasted chicken, pork, and beef seemed to be the primary courses, which was rather odd for an old Japanese village. And they didn't seem to have any fish at all. Nonetheless, he shrugged and told the woman that they'd have the roast pork. He'd always preferred heavier meats, anyway. "Oh, and a beer for me."   
  
The barmaid blinked. "A what?"   
  
Genma frowned. "Beer. Don't you have a bar?"   
  
She stared at him for a moment. "Yes, but we don't serve... uh, 'beer'. We have ale and wine, though."   
  
Genma rolled his eyes. "Okay, whatever. Just bring me something with alcohol in it."   
  
Seeing the barmaid start to leave, Ranma cleared his throat. "Uh, 'scuse me, but where exactly in Japan are we?"   
  
That stopped her short. "Where in what?"   
  
"Uh... Japan."   
  
"I've never heard of anyplace called Japan."   
  
Genma suddenly gulped. "Wh-What do you mean you've never heard of Japan?! The sign outside is written in Japanese!"   
  
The barmaid eyed him strangely. "It's written in... well, we call it common. You boys lost?"   
  
Ranma sighed. "Looks like it. We're at least somewhere in Asia, right?" Blank stare. "Oh, HELL no!"   
  
Genma chuckled weakly as his son glared at him. "Oh, don't worry about it boy! We're traveling anyway! What does it matter if we get a little lost?"   
  
Seeing that she had lost the center of attention, the barmaid left to call for their orders, leaving the twelve year-old boy to glare at his father and his father to sweat nervously as he tried to think of places where they used kanji that weren't anywhere near Asia.   
  
Eventually Ranma got tired of staring down his old man, and began to look around the place. The inn was of a very odd design, or so it seemed to him. He had been to older, more traditional villages, and their inns didn't look anything like this. The brick walls and large, wooden supports under the straw roof had a distinctively western appearance, as did the iron stove that sat in the midst of the tables and distributed heat throughout the room.   
  
Even after their meal was served, Ranma kept glancing around the room as he ate, looking at all the different people. Several of them were wearing armor that was made of tanned leather or steel, which was odd for Japanese people whether your town was old-fashioned or not. A group that had entered the tavern when they had been half-way through their meal were even carrying western-style melee weapons, such as clubs, axes, and thick double-edged swords.   
  
Given that he was paying particular attention to his surroundings, and eyeing the group of armed men rather closely, he noticed with great curiosity that many of the inn patrons at the surrounding tables deliberately looked away as the group entered, and lowered their voices to hushed whispers to avoid attention. Given that, it was very easy to hear what the men were saying as they approached a nervous younger barmaid who was clutching her platter to her chest.   
  
"Hey, wench! We're here to see the old man! Get him down here!" One of the men shouted, crossing his arms over his chest. Five other men fanned out behind him, each one fingering the weapon at his hip.   
  
"I-I'm sorry, but y-you know my grandfather is retired! He doesn't accept contracts anymore! Th-There's nothing I can do about it!" The girl protested, trying to keep her voice steady.   
  
"Damn it! This is the third time we've been here!" The leader yelled, gripping his hand into a fist. "We're not taking no for an answer this time! Nobody turns down the Mountain Kings!"   
  
"My grandfather is retired," the girl insisted, shaking her head, "he will not accept your offer. I'm sorry, but you might as well leave."   
  
"Don't give me that! A member of the Black Guards as good as that old fart can't just 'retire'! One way or another, he's going to accept our contract!"   
  
Ranma's attention was distracted from the exchange by the barmaid from before approaching their table and handing them a bill. "It looks like trouble's brewing. You'd best leave before things get ugly."   
  
Ranma would've liked to stay and see how things turned out, but Genma was all too happy to mind his own business. "Certainly! Let me see here..." He looked at the number at the bottom of the bill, and then fished some yen out of his pocket and laid it down. The barmaid frowned, but Genma immediately assumed it was because he hadn't added a tip to the total, and moved to leave anyway.   
  
"Hey now! What's this?!" The barmaid picked up one of the paper bills and stared at it like she would a piece of trash. "Just what do you think you're trying to pull?"   
  
Genma blinked. "What? What do you mean?" Genma was plenty used to being interrogated and yelled at by angry shopowners and waitresses, but never on one of the occasions where he actually paid for a meal.   
  
"And these coins! What kind of metal is this, anyway?" Picking up one of the strange coins, she immediately determined it certainly wasn't platinum, gold, silver, or copper, whatever its appearance. She couldn't tell exactly what kind of metal the small piece WAS made out of, but she doubted it was very valuable. "Trying to skip out on your tab, eh?"   
  
At last it occurred to Genma that as it seemed he wasn't in Japan, these people might not accept currency that was specific to that nation. "Yes, apparently. LET'S GO, BOY!!" Without bothering to wait for his son, who was already damning Genma for his stupidity, the heavy-set martial artist sped toward the front of the inn and out the door, shocking those that had witnessed the theft with his speed.   
  
While Ranma was arguably just as fast as his father, he had still been sitting down when it became apparent he needed to be running away, and thus the attention of the most of the inn was already on him by the time he had jumped out of his chair and dashed beyond the reach of the aggravated barmaid who had been serving them. Immediately he dashed after his father, casting a momentary glance behind him to see how many of the waitresses were giving chase.   
  
*Trip* "Gurk!" Ranma made an odd yelping sound as a heavy boot kicked his feet out from under him, and then made choking noises as someone grabbed the back of his shirt and plucked him out of mid-air.   
  
The leader of the gang of armed thugs grinned as he held up the struggling twelve-year old. "There ya go! I even caught a thief for ya! Just a plain, wholesome act of goodwill! Go tell that old goat about it, and maybe he'll decide to be a little more charitable!"   
  
"I'd thank you for catching the boy, except that I think the true thief was the older man." All heads in the room turned toward the stairs, where an old man was sitting on the steps. He was very pale and skinny, and had white hair that framed his whole face and trailed off into a long beard. "I don't intend to hold this child responsible for his father running off like that without paying."   
  
"The hell?! Vannis? Were you there the whole time?!" The leader of the gang asked in surprise. He knew that the retired assassin had been legendary in his skill, but to be able to hide in plain sight?   
  
"Hey! Lemme go! The old guy said he didn't want me!" Ranma growled as the man held him up to look him in the eyes.   
  
"Oh, shut up, brat. He might change his mind. After all, we could use you to catch the other thief."   
  
Ranma fixed him with a smoldering glare. "Lemme go, or else."   
  
"Ha!" The thug laughed, joined by chuckles from his companions. "Or else what?"   
  
Before the man knew what was happening, Ranma had lashed out with his feet, clamping his legs around his antogonizer's neck. Then, in a maneuver that didn't seem possible from his position, Ranma did a backflip, mustering enough force to pick the man up off the ground and then slam him hard onto the floor as he completed his move.   
  
The thugs all stared in amazement as Ranma stood up and shook a fist at them. "Who else wants a piece?!" A sweatdrop rolled down his head as the five others all drew their weapons, murderous expression on their faces. Fight off five armed men, all of whom looked to have significant experience in fighting? Ranma was a damn good martial artist, even at age twelve, but he really didn't like the look of those swords.   
  
"That's enough," Vannis mumbled, standing up. "Step away from the boy. Now."   
  
The thugs all halted, unsure of what to do. After all, they had been sent to get help from Vannis, but obviously they also had to maim the little punk that had just decked their friend. Typical grunt minion logic failed, and the small band was left frozen in place, as if any possible movement would be a horrible mistake.   
  
The thug that had been humiliated wasn't so easily stunned into inaction, and drew a dagger from his belt as he slowly recovered from Ranma's attack. "Why you little piece of-" stabbing as he began the expletive, he was interrupted when Ranma grabbed his arm and then used a shoulder throw that sent the man sailing toward the middle of the room, and toward the heating stove that was rooted there.   
  
*Clang!!* *Fssss* "AAAAAH!! I'm on fire!! HELP!!" Barely able to see straight from suffering two significant impacts in the space of one minute, the dazed and burning thug stumbled blindly for the front exit as well as he could, stumbling over chairs and hitting his legs on tables as he went. The rest of the group, seeing their leader on fire and retreating, decided that their original mission could be put on hold, and immediately followed him out the front door.   
  
Ranma sweatdropped as he watched the men rush outside in a panic, and then gulped as he felt the eyes of the entire room on his back. Turning toward Vannis, he gave his best smile, nervous as it was, and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry about the stove! Uh, and the meal! Bye!" Without waiting for any kind of response, Ranma dashed once again for the front exit.   
  
He wasn't exactly sure what happened after that, but before Ranma could accelerate fully, he caught a flash of motion out of the corner of his eye. Then, an intense wave of pain washed over him before everything went black.  
  
********* one hour later ****  
  
"............... Owie............"  
  
Ranma groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes as if awaking from a deep sleep. "What happened...?" he asked slowly, not really expecting an answer. His entire body felt like it was on the brink of total exhaustion, but as far as he could tell, he had only suffered a single strike. That strike, whatever it was, apparently had lasting side effects, as even now he could feel a sharp stabbing pain in the back of his neck, as if a bee was stinging him over and over.  
  
"You're awake already? Impressive. You have a superior physical constitution for someone your age."  
  
Ranma blinked as he heard an old man's voice, and tried harder to get his eyes to focus. Like the rest of his body, it seemed as if they were just on the verge of succumbing to unconsciousness. "Who're you?"  
  
"My name is Vannis, young man. But I believe the real question here is: who are you?" The old man smiled, holding a cup of tea in his hands as several of the barmaids watched the recovering boy warily.  
  
Ranma shook his head violently, and suddenly it was as if his entire body snapped back into top form. The pain in his neck disappeared, his vision became crystal clear, and even his tiredness washed away like a bad memory. "The hell?! What just happened?! Where am I?!" Looking around frantically, Ranma could see that he was in a living room of sorts, surrounded by several of the women that were working at the inn. He had awoken in the center of the room, while Vannis, his apparent captor, sat just in front of him, sipping tea.  
  
"To answer your questions opposite the order they were asked, you're in my personal lodge above the inn, you suffered a direct hit from a little trick I call Hornet Sting, which, I might add, you're making an astounding recovery from," he grinned before continuing, "and you have no idea what 'hell' is, young man."  
  
Ranma blinked at all this. "Uh... okay... so... why'd you knock me out and drag me up here?"  
  
"Answer my question first," Vannis commanded, taking a sip of his tea.  
  
"Alright, fine," Ranma muttered, "my name's Ranma Saotome, of the Anything-Goes School of martial arts."  
  
Vannis blinked. "Interesting name. So, you're a monk in training, hm?"  
  
Ranma blinked. "Monk? What? No! I'm a martial artist!"  
  
"Well we know that," one of the barmaids interjected, "but for what purpose?"  
  
Ranma simply stared blankly at the people surrounding him, unable to come up with an answer that would make any sense to people who didn't take martial arts as seriously as he did. Martial arts was a goal in itself.  
  
Vannis cleared his throat. "What my granddaughter means is what you intend to use your skill in the martial arts for. The only people that usually pursue such a skill as much as you obviously have are usually monks, or professionals of the... less noble practices." He moved to take another sip of his tea, but halted suddenly as he looked Ranma over. "And you don't have the look of a serious thief about you, and certainly not that of a killer."  
  
Ranma jerked back, appalled. "Of course not! I'm a martial artist! My job is to protect the weak!"  
  
Several of the women around the room giggled at that. "Maybe you should leave that to the paladins, kiddo. It's easier to protect people with a sword than with a fist."  
  
Ranma's left eye twitched, and he turned away. "Well, whatever. I didn't ask for your opinion, anyhow." Ignoring the woman's cross expression, he once again addressed Vannis. "You still haven't told me why you knocked me out."  
  
"After seeing that maneuver you used on that brutish fellow that had been bothering me, I decided that it would be an unforgivable waste to allow such talent to literally run out the door after the man who cheated me and left his son behind in his escape." Vannis grinned. "Now that we've had this little talk, I've decided I like you, Ranma."  
  
"Peachy," Ranma deadpanned, "now, if you're not going to kill me or whatever, can I go?" For some reason that Ranma could not comprehend, his question seemed to shock the women around him.  
  
"Hey kid, do you have any idea who you're talking to?"  
  
"Duh. He's Vannis," Ranma said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "he told me that, remember?"  
  
"The legendary Ninja master 'Dark Wind' Telaris Vannis!" Another barmaid said, causing a sweatdrop to roll down the old man's head.  
  
Ranma's face was blank. "Now you've lost me." He'd heard of a few legendary Ninja masters, but none with such an eccentric name. It didn't even sound Japanese.  
  
"You've never heard of the Dark Wind?!" Another girl shouted incredulously. "Why, this man is-" her mouth snapped shut as Vannis raised an arm to signal for silence.  
  
"Oh, pay no attention to them. And to answer your original question, yes, you may leave at any time."  
  
"Cool. See ya." Ranma immediately turned around and headed for the door.  
  
"-But, if you do, I don't suppose I'll be able to teach you that hornet sting technique."  
  
"Erk!" Ranma stopped short of touching the doorknob, and dozens of thoughts assaulted him.  
  
'Sweet! New technique!'  
  
'Gotta find Pops! No time!'  
  
'That stupid old man is the one who got me stuck here in the first place!'  
  
'What if Pops finds a way back home and I'm not around?'  
  
'A way back where? What home? I don't have a home!'  
  
'There's something strange about this place! I should stick with Pops until he figures something out!'  
  
'Ha! Figure something out! It was his bright idea that got us here in the first place! We don't need him! Who knows where he'd get us lost next?'  
  
'I don't know this guy at all; why should I trust him?'  
  
'That WAS a really cool technique...'  
  
Finally, Ranma turned around and shrugged. "Well... I guess I can stay a little while."  
  
Vannis grinned.  
  
******************************  
  
"Uh... so, what does this hafta do with poking people to knock them out?" Ranma asked a bit nervously, balanced precariously on the bamboo stick. Ordinarily this wouldn't have been any big deal, but Vannis had also made him hold an iron bar on his shoulders that had a bucket of water attached to both ends, weighing him down and unbalancing him.  
  
"Before we walk, we must learn to crawl," Vannis said sagely, sitting cross legged many feet away.  
  
'Oh great, he's one of those philosophical Zen dweebs,' Ranma thought irritably. "Okay, fine, so how long do I hafta keep crawling before you'll teach me to walk?"  
  
"One hour," the master assassin said.  
  
Ranma sighed, but nodded.  
  
"In the meantime," Vannis began, turning toward one of the two barmaids who were standing outside nearby, "I want you to toss rocks into the left bucket." Indeed, next to each waitress there was a pile of rocks that had been gathered from a nearby river. Ranma gulped.  
  
"Ah, I see. And I'll throw mine in the right bucket?" the other maid guessed, picking up one of the granite projectiles.  
  
"No, I want you to throw yours at the boy's head," Vannis said seriously. The girl sweatdropped. Ranma paled.  
  
'Why did I agree to this...?'  
  
******************************  
  
"Next comes meditation under the waterfall," Vannis said, leading Ranma to the mountain stream that flowed down a stone plateau and into a small pond. Right under the waterfall was a stone that looked suspiciously free of long-term corrosion; Ranma correctly guessed that it had been placed there so that someone could sit under the stream.  
  
"No problem. Glad to take on something easy, for once." Smiling, he began to strip down when he noticed several of the barmaids trudging up the mountain pass behind him. Coming two at a time, each pair was carrying along a huge block of ice. "Uh... yo, what's all the ice for?"  
  
Vannis nodded. "Several blocks of ice will be placed in the stream above you in a row, to cool the water to a deathly cold temperature."  
  
Ranma stood at the foot of the pond, staring at the retired assassin with unsteady eyes. "Uh... wh-why?"  
  
"To harden your resistance to the elements, of course," Vannis said gruffly, stroking his beard. "Any time you spend in which you are not enduring hardship is time wasted! Even meditation can become brutal endurance training!"  
  
Ranma stood at the edge of the pool, twitched mightily, then wordlessly continued stripping down. 'I wonder which one of us is going to kill the other first?'  
  
******************************  
  
"For today's training, you'll-" Vannis began as usual.  
  
"Stop." Ranma commanded, causing the old man to immediately fall silent. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
Vannis raised an eyebrow. "Very well."  
  
"Every day, you present some kind of training to me that at first only seems moderately grueling, but then, moments later, you reveal something else that makes it just about deadly. Could you do me a huge favor from now on and just tell me every aspect of the training all at once, right away?" Looking at today's training ground, there was a long strip of earth covered in flaming coals, and the usual barmaids that assisted in the training were lined up along the sides of it, this time with racks of throwing knives standing next to each of them.  
  
Vannis stared at Ranma, then sighed. "Fine. Take all the fun out of it, then. Today you'll walk back and forth across the burning strip, forty times, dodging throwing knives while your feet are burned by hot coals. Also, there are some small spikes under the flames that are rather hard to see with all the coals lying about. You don't have to step on them if you can avoid it, but in the long run, I think it'd toughen you up more."  
  
Ranma's left eyebrow twitched. "Okay. Thank you. Can I ask you one more thing?"  
  
"Very well."  
  
Ranma pointed at Vannis. "Did YOU go through this stuff when you were in training?"  
  
The retired assassin snorted. "Of course not! Exercises like this would have left me crippled for life!" All around him, the barmaids sweatdropped, giving uneasy glances at their knives and each feeling rather sorry for Ranma.  
  
Ranma slapped his forehead. "Then why are you making me go through them?!"  
  
Vannis crossed his arms over his chest. "Obviously, the goal of every master is to turn out a student that surpasses his own ability."  
  
"That won't happen if you get me killed!" Ranma protested.  
  
"Then if you don't want to crush the hopes and dreams of a poor old man, show some fortitude and survive." *Shove*  
  
"AAAA!! OW!! OH GEEZ!! IT'S HOT!! WHOA!! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE THROWIN' THOSE!! NOT IN THE FACE!! NOT IN THE FACE!!"  
  
******** four difficult years later****  
  
"All right! Another day of honest work." Tenkin said to the men surrounding him. The fact that they were all wearing masks and armed to the teeth spoke of the accuracy of that statement... the fleeing people screaming "Help, Help, Robbers!!!" made it rather obvious as to what kind of "honest work" the men were up to.  
  
"Yea, ten minutes hard work is good for the soul." Robber fifteen said as he began to make a fire from the wood of shattered houses. Tenkin and his companions sat before their fire at the base camp they had hidden just off the main road leading from the village of Hamlit. Most of the robbers that worked with Tenkin hated the bugs and rocks but liked the money and work hours. Of course, the health plan sucked, but that was the price one had to pay when one worked outdoors these days.  
  
  
  
"It felt more like twenty to me." Robber seven said as he secured three freshly caught fish into sticks and stuck them into the fire. It was a cold evening; winter had just gone. So most of the robbers under the leadership of the mighty Tenkin did the only thing manly men did on nights like this... they made hot cocoa and made s'mores.   
  
"Wow, I can't believe you guys got so much from that old battle axe in the carriage." a voice said from the shadows. Startled, the bandits leapt to their feet, confused. Then they saw a figure kneeling over the pile of loot from the robbery, sifting through the items. Several were already missing, and the bandits gaped as the figure's hands sorted the valuables with blinding speed, causing certain items to disappear in the blink of an eye, while placing others of lesser value in neat stacks on the side. "Wow, who knew you guys were so loaded... whoa, you even have some magic scrolls and rings! I'm impressed!"  
  
"WHO IN THE NINE HELLS ARE YOU?!?!" Tenkin yelled at the man who was stealing his stolen loot right before his eyes. The robbers one through eighteen stood up, pulling out their weapons and glaring at the man who was counting out the bags of gold that they had in their large treasure chest.  
  
"Don't worry about who I am right now, it's not important, but to be fair I'll leave you guys four... no, three bags of gold... make that two... you guys seem like you can spare it." said the youth as he finished sorting through the treasure. Obviously he had hidden them away under his clothes, but somehow the goods didn't even to leave a bulge or a ruffle in his clothing. "See, I left you some stuff. I would have left you more, but you guys look happier without money... hey, your fish is burning on one side. You should take care of that."  
  
The teen walked over to the fire and turned over the fish, and then calmly poured himself a cup of the hot cocoa. It wasn't until he stood up with the full cup of cocoa did the bandits attack him. It wasn't that they were scared or anything, but any nut who would walk into a camp of armed, bloodthirsty men eating s'mores was a dangerous nut.   
  
The fight was fast and hectic; there were many cries of pain and agony. Of course, it wasn't untill they backed off from their victim that they realized that the person they were beating to a pulp... was robber seven.  
  
The youth dropped down from the tree he had fled to to watch the show. He walked over the the horrific display, took a sip of his cocoa, and took one of the roasting s'mores all the while shaking his head. "I hope you guys got some ice for that... cause if you hurry he could get it put back on by a healer... make that a good healer..."  
  
  
  
All of the robbers jumped back in shock except for Tenkin who was glaring daggers and the young man. 'It wasn't fair that's my s'more he's eating.' "You shall pay for this boy... oh, you shall pay."  
  
"All right, all right," he sighed, and pulled out one of the small bags that held the gold he had just pillaged from the pillagers. Then he withdrew two gold coins, and tossed them on the ground next to the maimed criminal. "If that doesn't cover it, then don't hesitate to send me a bill. Ha ha ha!"  
  
"Die... you scum!" Tenkin yelled as he charged the boy with his sword ready for the attack.   
  
There was a blur of motion from the boy standing before him, and in an instant, Tenkin found his sword kicked out of his hand and a fist slammed into his face.   
  
What happened wasn't what Tenkin had planned... it wasn't what the other bandits behind him had planned, either. But for some odd reason that seemed to escape Tenkin, he was suddenly airborn and flying backwards into his stunned men.  
  
And, like bowling pins, the bandits found themselves knocked off their feet by their flying leader.  
  
"Ah, I see you guys are getting ready to turn in so I'll leave... Have a good night." the youth said as he vanished into one of the shadows near the oak tree.  
  
"Who was the hell was that?" Tenkin ask as he tried to stand up. Behind him, all his subordinates watched the shadows, all of them waiting for the other shoe to drop.  
  
"Uh, guys... some help here... I really need to get to a heal..." Robber seven whispered to his comrades as best he could.  
  
"Could you keep it down? That nut could be coming back." Tenkin said with irritation as he looked around the area.  
  
"I know... you guys are busy... but I really need to..." Robber seven tried again, and then paused as something in a long black cloak appeared next to him from out of nowhere.  
  
"Uh, guys..." Robber seven said again, trying the get his comrades' attention.  
  
"SHUT UP!!!" Tenkin yelled "That bastard could still be here. If he is, he 'aint taking us by surprise!"  
  
Robber seven whimpered as he saw a bone hand come out from under the cloak holding a long, cylindrical object. "...W-what's..." Robber seven squeaked as he slowly pointed at the item in the thing's hand.  
  
"THIS?... OH, IT'S JUST A FLASHLIGHT." a voice said from under the hood.  
  
"What are you going to use it for?" the robber asked, his voice now shaking with fear.  
  
"NOTHING MUCH, ITS TO HELP ME IN MY JOB... YOU KNOW, THE 'LIFE FLASHING BEFORE YOUR EYES' BIT." the hooded figure said to the robber before him. The other robbers that were looking all around still couldn't see the wraith in their mist.  
  
"So you're here to take me to meet my maker?" Robber seven asked the cloaked thing before him. His life was flashing before him and he realized two things: one, that last night when he was drunk he HAD eated dung, and two, that it took a hundred and sixty-eight licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. He was a bit disappointed with both epiphanies, especially since he had no idea what a "Tootsie Pop" was.   
  
"WHY WOULD I TAKE YOU TO SEE YOUR PARENTS?" the cloaked figure asked. "NO I'M JUST HERE AS A CAMEO. LONG STORY SHORT, I WAS WATCHING TV AND SOME GUYS CAME OVER AND I DID SOME STUFF AFTER THEY WRECKED MY PLACE AND NOW, WELL HERE I AM."  
  
Robber seven passed out from the shock.  
  
"WHY DOES THAT ALWAYS HAPPEN?" Death asked the sky as he looked up in exasperation.  
  
********  
  
Rebecca stood watching from a near by hill top. She was a sight to behold with her short red hair, her all but glowing green eyes and her stunning, gorgeous body that was poorly concealed in the tight fitting leather pants and vest. In fact, if it wasn't for the large bastard sword at her back most men would have run to her rather than from her.  
  
It had taken her two months to find the scorn of her existence; two long and hard months... but she learned from them and now with time on her side she would watch and wait for her opportunity to strike.  
  
"Ranma... at last... my revenge..."  
  
********  
  
Most people didn't know about ancient temple that stood hidden in between the two cities of Tyon and Arnet. Of course, many people didn't even know it when the world had been brought to the brink of total annhilation and saved by the quick thinking of a young redheaded girl either; these folks weren't the most inquisitive people in the multiverse, and current events was pretty much limited to the latest cow that had caught sick and died, anyway.  
  
Ranma pulled large bags of items out from under his clothing until he had a pile of loot that was halfway to his waist. In the bags were gold coins, gems, and other assorted things like jeweled weapons and scrolls.  
  
Ranma then began to sort them out, separating the gold and silver coins and the gems from the other magical and non magical items that he might find use for later.  
  
The magical items that seemed to be of most note were four rings that had enchantments placed on them, two seemed to offer some type of protecting spell, one offered minor healing and the last seemed to be able to summon something. A sword with two minor enchantments that made the blade sharper and harder to break. And two sets of magic amplifying gems.  
  
Ranma rested the magical items in his pack, make sure to put aside one set of amplifying gems to sell. Ranma then moved on the the non magic items such as gem covered knives and combs; nothing in that pile of any major note except for a locket and a few items with their owners names on them.  
  
By the time Ranma was done it was well past midnight, so with that in mind he packed up everything that he was going to sell in one pack, everything he was going to return in another, and the rest in his own pack. And with that done he fell backwards heavily, falling dead asleep on the stone floor of the old ruins.  
  
The morning sun's light found Ranma in the middle of doing his morning workout. The morning dew had left the forest near the entrance of the temple shimmering with rainbows of light that came from both the sun and a light blue glow that flowed off of Ranma's body into the air.   
  
Ranma found himself staring at the temple with his gear packs once everything was ready for departure. This hidden temple was one of the few places that Ranma truly felt at peace. Ranma made certin he bowed before turning to depart. And as he left an inner light seemed to linger in the temple to acknowledge his leaving.   
  
********  
  
Arnet wasn't bad as far as cities went; it was clean and the people that lived there carried themselves in a homely, easygoing manner. It was a peaceful city, and one that had not lost the simple innocence of a small village. Ranma, for the past year, had made it a sometimes-home for a few days every other time he passed that way. But this time around he was on business.  
  
He walked into the tailor's shop, smiling brightly with the sack of valuables over his shoulder. The owner of the shop was a man that looked to be in his late forties. He was thin and seemed taller than he was up close, and most could tell that he worked indoors by his pale skin and the squint that seemed to be almost permanent. His shop wasn't the finest in the village, but at least it got regular business.  
  
"Well Sam, I'm back on the day you said at the time you said with the money you asked for... now do you have them ready?" Ranma asked as he walked up to the counter in the small shop.   
  
"Four suits using the materials you gave me. I finished two days ago, to tell you the truth, but for the money you're paying me I managed to get a roll of Dragon spider silk too. It's lighter and stronger than what you wanted." Sam said as he looked at Ranma with a smile. "So you wanna check them and try one of them on?"  
  
"Dragon spider's silk? I'm impressed. Not many people are crazy enough to go after that stuff." Ranma said, looking over his new clothes and checking the workmanship while also making certain that all the items he had left with the tailor had been used in the clothes. "Here's the second payment for 'em. I'll go in the dressing room and change now."   
  
"Very good sir, you are most generous." Sam said as the bag of gold coins was placed on the counter. Ranma nodded and went into the changing room.   
  
There was a hiss just behind Sam, and as he turned and looked down a red spider that was larger than a house cat crawled towards him over the floor. "Yes, yes, I know you're hungry but it will have to wait for a few more minutes."  
  
Ranma came out of the dressing room with a smirk. The clothes weren't as loose as he liked, but with a few experimental stretches he soon decided that what he was wearing wouldn't restrict his movements.  
  
It looked almost like light armor at some points, as if the whole outfit was a one peice suit. The clothes came together to make Ranma look like an armored ninja without a face mask, and with an expensive jacket over his shoulders, if it wasn't for the dark red shoulder guards that seem to be bonded to the clothes and the two pairs of three silver buttons that were on the hard metal collar of either side the red shoulder guards.  
  
In the end the clothes made Ranma look like poor man's knight, or a rich thief with a lot of enemies. Either way Ranma liked the look; even the silver and red symbols embroidered on the gloves and boots seemed to work. In all it had the desired effect, so unless someone was looking right at him he could get away with hiding in deep shadows.   
  
"Nice fit too. I'm going to need a few more suits like this... if you can get your hands on some more of this silk, I'll try and buy two or three every few months."  
  
"That will be fine, sir." Sam said eyeing the spider. It seemed to nod at him for a moment, and then it turned and left the room. "Do wear the clothes in good health."   
  
Ranm walked out the door with a wave to sam as he left. Sam smirked at his good fortune, "No, no... it wouldn't do to get rid of such a good customer."   
  
It wasn't the first time that Ranma left one of the many restaurants of the city of Arnet. And he hoped it wouldn't be his last. Now that his present business was done, all that he seemed to have was time. "Maybe I should go into the mountains and train for a bit?" Ranma mused to himself as he payed the bill and left the restaurant.  
  
Exiting the shop, Ranma stretched his arms out and patted down his new jacket. Then he heard a voice down the road, coming from the village square. As he got a look and who was coming, Ranma smirked.  
  
********  
  
"Now hereabout in New Salyne,  
  
In the mountains of the evergreen,  
  
There among the earth and woods,  
  
There lived a man named Gavin B. Hood.  
  
Most people knew he couldn't read so well,  
  
But he could swing a shield and send demons to hell.  
  
Go go Gavin B. Hood!"  
  
"Will you, for the love of everything good in the world, stop singing that song?!" Gavin yelled at Rallen. It wasn't the first time that Rallen had sung that particular tune but after hearing it over and over again it was finally starting to get to him. Especially after he got over the "swinging shield" part to pay more attention to the "couldn't read so well" part.  
  
"Aw, come on now Gavin. Let him sing of your heroic legend or whatever... though I'm at a loss as to where he learn how to play rock and roll," Ranma said happily, walking out from behind a tree just ahead of the traveling duo.  
  
"Don't you remember... Ranma." Gavin said through gritted teeth. "You... taught it to him."  
  
"Oh, yea... I did, didn't it?" Ranma smirked at the memory. It wasn't hard to get Rallen interested in learning rock and roll, the hard part was getting him to stop. Rallen and that damned magic lute... Ranma's grin faded slighly and he shuddered. There was no doubt in Ranma's mind that Rallen was one of the most dangerous humans in this world. Heaven help them all if he ever put down his lute and picked up a weapon or a magic scroll.   
  
"In any case, it's fortunate that we ran into you," Gavin murmured a tad darkly, shaking his shield free from its strap that held it on his back, "we happen to be in-between quests, so unlike our last few encounters, I don't have anywhere to be in a hurry."  
  
Ranma blinked, and then whistled as he held his hands behind his head. "Aw man, you wanna fight? What is it with you? There are countless bandit clans or monster hordes you could be bothering right now! Why you gotta bug me?"  
  
Gavin twitched. "You're more of a menace than any bandit!"  
  
"Hey, I take offense to that!" Ranma complained. Then he stopped and fell into deep thought, fingering his lip. "Actually, you know what? Now that I think about it, that's pretty accurate. But you should at least mention that I don't go around killing innocent people."  
  
"No, you just destroy their homes!" Gavin said, rearing back his shield. Then he thrust his arm forward, throwing the defensive armament toward Ranma like a chakra.  
  
"Well, not on purpose," Ranma said, ducking to the side and letting the shield pass overhead harmlessly.  
  
Gavin's shield whipped around like a boomerang, and Gavin snatched it out of the air. "Stay still, you little rat!" Then he charged with his shield in front of him, the ground tearing up behind him as he plowed forward.  
  
"Hey!" Ranma said, jumping back before Gavin reached him, "'Menace' is one thing, but don't go comparing me to little rodents!" Then, just as quickly, Ranma charged forward, moving with such speed that his form blurred and became invisible to Rallen, who was watching the fight mutely.  
  
*Wham!!* Both fighters skidded to a stop after meeting, and Ranma whipped around, unhurt. Gavin staggered for a moment, and then fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.  
  
Gavin stood up slowly, looking at Ranma. How did he strike so fast and still have enough power to hurt him? It was impossible, just impossible that he could have improved so much in such a short a span of time. Gavin stood strong with his black, oval-shaped shield before him. His curly blond hair was starting to cling to his forehead, drenched with sweat as he moved into a defensive stance.  
  
Ranma's annoyed expression melted. "Ah, sorry about that. That was pretty mean of me... so anyway, it's good to see you man, how ya been?" Ranma asked as he looked for another hole in Gavin's defense that he could use. Not that he had any intention of beating the other man into submission, but it was easier to run away from someone if it hurt them to walk.   
  
"Shield slash!"   
  
"Aw, come on, I wasn't that bad, was I? Last time I even helped you save that village from the red dragon." Ranma said as he jumped back from the sudden attack. Gavin was faster than he remembered, even in armor. "Remember? The dragon? That's gotta count for something!"  
  
"Yea, you saved the village, and everyone lived. Thanks to you... too bad you didn't even leave a barn standing when you were done!" Gavin said as he ran forward again with his shield braced before him.   
  
"Shoulder charge!" Ranma jumped back, then reversed direction in the blink of an eye, ducking low and sweeping toward his rival's legs. Gavin stumbled but managed to regain his balance before he hit the ground face-first. Ranma, meanwhile, slid forward on his feet as he stood up, still killing his momentum. Amazingly enough, he had ducked under Gavin's shield, kicked at his feet, and recovered his footing all without touching the ground with anything but the soles of his shoes.  
  
"Ranma, you're a jerk... you know it and I know it." Gavin said to the wily teenager, turning around to continue his offensive.  
  
"Yea, well that might be true but at least my mother doesn't dress me funny."  
  
"WHAT??!!"  
  
"You heard me. Hoodless capes went out of style decades ago, dork. And what's up with the earrings? You taking up wizardry, or this accessorizing thing just a little closet hobby of yours?"   
  
Gavin shook mightily, his fist clenching and unclenching. "Well... Ranma... it looks like you've lasted long enough. It's time for me to end this and you... Divine Justice."  
  
to be continued...  
  
Next: Ranma vs Rebecca   
  
Writters' notes:  
  
There was something in the water... yeah, that's the ticket. There are not many Ranma/Slayers crossovers out there so I thought that it was time for a new one.   
  
(A note from Black Dragon: And then he talked me into helping him with it ^_^; )  
  
Also when I came up with Gavin I made him into a noble soul with the heart of a hero... and the luck of a condemned man ten minutes before getting hung and for that reason I added Rallen... Rallen is based loosely off a guy I once saw in an ep of Maccross 7 I think that what the anime was...  
  
(Another note from BD: I think Rayden is a WAY cooler name than Gavin.)  
  
******** 


End file.
